My husband and I are going in June. I don't want to pay for the memory maker package, but I want to be sure I understand something:

Even without the memory maker package, we can still get our pictures taken and magic bands scanned - then we can go back after the fact and purchase pictures that we like. Is that correct?

Without memory maker, can you still see your images on the MDE app nearly instantly while in the parks?

Lastly, without memory maker, are the images still available for the month after your trip?

I'm not after that many pictures - just might want one of the two of us in front of the castle that was not taken with an iPhone...... and you know might find a couple more here or there that I want a nicer "non-selfie" version of.

Yes your pictures will still be available to view but they will have a watermark over them. Pictures expire 45 days from the day they are taken. It can take up to 48hrs for them to show up in your MDE. I would say most of ours were visible in a day.

You may find that you love all your pictures at MK, for example, but only want the ones taken that day. Look into the 1 day photopass option for $59. Once you've seen your pictures, you can go in to buy that picture or all the pictures from that day for that price. You don't buy it before, so there's no risk.

The downside to waiting is if you decide you want the Memory Maker for all your days there once you've seen the pictures. I don't know if you can buy it after the fact for photos already taken.

Basically you find a group of liners (friends) traveling around the same time, link up in MDE, buy a mm in a dummy account, split the costs, and coordinate editing and download dates. I have done it a few times. It can be a bit cumbersome but I found it to be worth the savings.